Three Wise Men
by Osteri
Summary: AU. Harry Potter, Voldemort, and Albus Dumbledore are sent back into the mortal world in possession of one Hallow each. Out of the three, only Harry returns with his memories intact. With familiar characters in an unpredictable world, Harry tries his best to maintain his sanity. Semi-Super!Semi-Dark!Harry.
1. Chapter 1

**Inspired by**: _Black Phoneix_ by Sara Blake, and _Again and Again_ by Athey

**Disclaimer**: Everything belongs to JKR.

**AN**: This story often changes from being light-hearted to dark, and vice versa.

* * *

_Impossible_

* * *

_Bloody Hell. _I stared at the three people in front of me. I groaned and sank lower in my chair, while Dumbledore flashed me an amused smile. Voldemort simply glared at me.

"I am too old for this", I muttered into my hands, too tired to even shake my head in distress.

"Yes, yes _Potter_. You took 142 years to die, making the rest of us wait", he elegantly waved his hands towards Dumbledore and Death and continued, "while you lived your _long_ life. But of course, it would be you complaining", he drawled. Dumbledore merely chuckled, while Death remained silent in his seat.

"Now, now Tom, nothing will be accomplished through arguing", Dumbledore said to Voldemort, and then turned to me. "It's nice to see you again, Harry." I wanted to reply my old Headmaster, but the twinkle in his eyes distracted me. Even his death wasn't able to diminish his twinkle eye power. Quite an amazing feat. I chuckled to myself, and merely nodded in reply.

After the initial shock was over, I took my time to look around our surrounding. We were in the Great Hall, sitting around a small wooden table, similar to the ones that were present during the Yule Ball in fourth year. Well, at least that's what I thought, but honestly it's been way too long ago.

As I looked up towards the clear blue sky through the enchanted ceiling, Death cleared its voice, bringing me back to reality? I frowned at Death, which looked more like a shadow dressed in a cloak, than anything else.

"The reason why you're all here is because the three of you are incapable of moving onto your 'next great adventure', so to speak. There were complications with the Deathly Hallows. Several events, such as Harry being a horcrux of Tom's at one point, and the destruction of the Elder Wand with Albus being the last _true_ master, have caused the pact made between the Peverall brothers and myself to be broken. Though you may be familiar with the tale of the _Three Brothers, _the actual events have been greatly altered throughout time.

"Long ago, when wizards and witches were dying out, the three brothers begged me for help. Their pleas were sincere, so I granted them power, as well as small gifts, known as the Hallows. In exchange for the power and the Hallows, they promised to be the guardians of Magic, and ensure that the Hallows were passed down to the next generation of guardians.

"Unfortunately, the stone was abandoned and thrown away, while the wand was broken. I assure you, I am not pleased about this, mortals. For that, you three have been chosen to go back into the mortal realm, with one Hallow each. You will play your role as a guardian, and when the time is right, you'll pass it down. And, in order to guarantee success, one of you will have your memories intact when you three return."

I couldn't believe my ears. Perhaps I really have gone senile, which my great grandchildren always had the pleasure of reminding me. Despite the many years of exposure to magic, it was a lot for me to take in. I eyed the two other men in front of me. Surely, those power hungry men will want such a boon, when we, Merlin help us, return back to the realm of mortals. Death watched us closely, and continued his little speech.

"Since Harry had been able to '_master death' _, at one point, by being in possession of all three Hallows, it shall be he who will return with his memory intact." At this statement, Voldemort narrowed his eyes at me, while Dumbledore put on a tight smile, with no visible twinkle in his eyes. Ah, so the old man's not happy with this arrangement. I let my immature side take over, and gave them both a haughty look. Death chose _me_, over the Dark Lord, and the once most powerful wizard alive. However, in all honestly I preferred to be on my merry way to My Next Great Adventure, so I merely shook my head, and addressed Death.

"I'm honored to be chosen as one of the guardians, but I rather move on-"

"You have no choice, mortal. Now, there's one last thing I should mention. Things will not be the same as it was in your previous life, so try not to heavily rely on your memories." I was about to ask for clarification, while Voldemort opened his mouth to, no doubt, complain, but without a warning, all was dark.

* * *

I opened my eyes, wondering what happened. I was just about to tell Death that he should really go look for another _hero_, when suddenly, colors started to flood my vision.

As I looked around, I noticed that I was in a very large room. The room was painted in light blue, while the ceiling was white. There was also a faint scent of vanilla. On one side of the room, there was a huge window, with dark green curtains swaying with the wind. On the other side of the room, there was a large painting of a family. A man and a woman, with two infants on the woman's lap. It took me a minute, but that was when I realized that I was the same infant in the photo. I allowed myself 2 seconds to freak out.

Then I slowly realized that I was in a crib, along with another baby sleeping next to me. I tried to crawl my way towards the other infant, but I couldn't even manage to do that. Merlin's beard, _how old am I_? I couldn't get my brain to properly form a word, disabling me from talking, as well. As I laid down, staring up at the ceiling, I was tempted to let my infant instinct take over, and cry. But of course, priding myself as a bloody great wizard, I couldn't let myself get emotional over how helpless I felt at the moment. _Oh joy_, how fun growing up will be.

* * *

As the years went by, things slightly became better. Death was right, this world I currently lived in was a lot different from my original world. For one thing, I was still Harry Potter. However, that was one of the only likeness I could find from the original world.

At the age of 5, I found myself sitting at the dining table, reading the _Daily Prophet_ along with my father, Charlus Potter, while my mother, Dorea Potter was fussing over my twin brother, James Potter. Yeah I know. I didn't know whether I should laugh or cry about this whole situation. Since I never truly knew my father from my previous life, I became more used to the idea of James Potter being a brother now, rather than my previous _father_. As for my current parents, they were very caring and loving, but being passed the age of needing any sort of parental figure, I found it difficult to get attached or love them like the way James does. I was still glad that I had parents this time around, instead of relatives who hated me, though at times it was annoying when people who were younger than me bossed me around.

Ever since my body was capable of speech, I tried my best to act my age. However, acting like you're 5 years old, when you're actually 147 years old, got tiring. Really fast. After a couple of slips, I thought BLOODY HELL, I'm done acting like a child. I've always been viewed as _different, _all throughout my previous life. I'm pretty familiar with the _he's not normal even by wizard's standard_ treatment. So this time around, I decided to let people think of me as a prodigy. It was a whole lot better than being called a _freak_, or being famous for a bloody lightning bolt scar.

Appearance wise, I looked pretty much the same as I did in my old life. However, I wasn't as scrawny, and hey! Perfect eyesight! James and I would look identical if it weren't for the different color of our eyes, or the glasses. Since Charlus has dark eyes, while Dorea has her famous grey eyes of the most ancient and noble House of Black, my vivid green eyes had always been a mystery.

As I was reading the _Daily Prophet_-my family has a habit of ordering two copies, since Charlus and I always used to fight over it- my dear five years old brother thought it would be funny to fling a piece of potato at me. Bloody fantastic. This was great, 'cause I've _always_ wanted my past "father", who I used to view as a hero, throw potatoes at me. Of course, as usual, I gave my dear James a no-nonsense glare, and nonverbally and wandlessly banished the potato before it reached me. My family was used to such stunts by now. Banishing Charms were taught in my fourth year at Hogwarts, along with the Summoning Charm, but this was exactly why I named myself a "prodigy". Despite being able to take advantage of my prodigy status, I have always tried to keep my display of magic at a minimum. I mean, it wouldn't do to go around throwing _Avada Kedavra_ wandlessly and nonverbally, now would it?

One thing that baffled me was why children weren't allowed to learn magic before the age of 11. Many seemed to believe that children lack control over their magic at this age. Nevertheless, I realized that it was easier to learn wandless magic while we're young. Of course, having previous knowledge did help, but during this stage when our mind and body develops rapidly, I couldn't help but notice that my magic seemed to be more strongly attached to my will. Nonverbal casting skill was from my previous life, but wandless magic had developed in me as a child in this life. By the time my brain decreased its rapid growth and development, I hoped to have truly mastered wandless magic, or I would lose it completely. Which is why I dedicated many hours a day, practicing.

When the potato hit James in the face, I couldn't help but smirk. Ah, it's great to be powerful. Not one to admit defeat, my brother picked up another piece of potato, but was stopped by Dorea's glare.

"James Charlus Potter, if I have to remind you about table manners one more time, you will not be allowed to attend the Quidditch match next week. Do you understand, young man?"

"Yes, mother", he replied quickly, and resumed eating his potatoes and eggs. Much to my displeasure, Dorea turned towards me.

"Harry Cygnus Potter, you have been warned not to use magic during meals, if I need to remind you once more, you will not be able to able to enter the library for one whole week." My brother decided to stick his tongue out at me, obviously pleased that I was being punished too.

"Of course mother dear. I shouldn't have responded to the antics of my brother. One could only hope and _try_ to be mature at the age of 5. So I beg for your patience, and forgiveness concerning my childish behavior", I drawled. I never used to drawl, but while acting as a prodigy, it came to me naturally. I could somewhat understand why Lucius and Draco would go about and _drawl, _it was actually kind of fun. Usually, I wasn't one for pomposity, but ruffling Dorea's feathers, could be absolutely, maliciously delightful. Now, that's childish antics for you, dear mother.

Much to my displeasure, Dorea simply gave me a look of pity. Dorea and Charlus often believed that I grew up much too quickly. I was considering throwing my potatoes at her. Maybe that would would have gotten the annoying look of pity off her face. Charlus as well, looked up from his copy of the _Daily Prophet_, and gave me a sad smile. Really, what's up with these people. Before I could lose my temper and throw around some _Crucio__, _I decided to get up from the table. After excusing myself as politely as I could, I escaped to the library to practice -not the Unforgivables, sheesh- my wandless magic.

Once inside the library, I decided to finish reading the _Daily Prophet_. The date on top read May 2, 1961, while the front page reported another attack by Grindelwald, and his forces. It was really bizarre to hear about Dark Lord Grindelwald, instead of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, Voldemort. In my original timeline, Grindelwald had been defeated by Albus Dumbledore in 1945. However in this world, his muggle partner in crime Adolf Hitler had been killed, but Grindelwald was still at large, more powerful than ever before.

I shook my head and read the date again. May 2, 1961. In a couple of weeks, our birthday would be coming up, which was neither the original birthday of James' nor mine from our previous life. As much as I wanted the time to pass by slowly, so I could develpe my wandless magic, I also couldn't wait till I grew up, gave away my Hallow to the next generation, and died. Not that I'm suicidal or anything.


	2. Chapter 2

_Godric's Hollow_

* * *

It was the 27th of May, and my family decided to celebrate James' and my birthday at a small cottage in Godric's Hollow. Having grown up in the Potter Manor, with around 30 something rooms and 5 house-elves, I was not pleased at all. However, since there were ministry officials currently running about, adding new wards, and updating some of the older ones, we didn't have much choice.

Usually, for our birthdays, we would have a nice meal with some of our extended family members, and receive gifts, which was the best part of this whole fiasco. However, since both James and I would turn 6 this year, my parents decided to invite some kid wizards and witches for us to make acquaintances with. James had already met some of the other kids, I believe, but I always tried my bloody best to avoid them. I do like children, really. They're slimy, squishy and nice, but I didn't want to waste any of my precious time talking about witch cooties, thank you very much.

So this year, instead of listening to the "adult" conversation, and chiming in with semi kid-appropriate commentaries in an our elegant garden, I found myself stuck in one of the huge trees behind the cottage, trying to chase birds that were eager to land in my hair and make a nest out of it. It wasn't my best moment.

About 30 minutes before I got stuck in a tree, I was sitting in the grass, a book perched in my lap, while I lazily flipped through the most recent gift I had received. If people wanted to gift me books, they could have at least checked in with Dorea or Charlus, and prevented the numerous copies of _Hogwarts__: a History _piling up in the corner of the library.

After 10 minutes of skimming through the book, I quickly became bored and decided to do something more useful, such as taking a nice little nap. Napping isn't just for the wee little ones, but mind you, it's for the intellisticated -intelligent and sophisticated- people as well. While napping, my brother had quickly made friends with the Longbottom kid, who was an year older than us. Apparently, they had pranked most of the adults and kid witches, and decided that their next target should be me. So when my blissful nap was interrupted by a splash of mud with tiny worms squirming around, I decided to run up a tree. So much for being a wizard, but what do you expect? I just woke up. After picking the worms out of my hair, I stayed hidden in the tree until those two silly kids got bored and decided to choose another target.

I was just about to jump off the tree, when I noticed another boy on the other side. He looked older than me, with auburn hair and blue eyes. He was leaning against a tree, with a book in his lap. Without any thought, I jumped down on the other side, and unceremoniously landed right next to the boy. He didn't flinch or scream bloody murder, but simply sat there calmly reading his book.

"Hello, are you one of the Potter's boy?", he asked, without even looking up from his book. Instead of answering his question, I gave him a stereotypical pure-blood reaction.

"Who are you?" Yes, it was rude, but after being doted on by Dorea and Charlus, the arrogant side of me often made appearance. This time, he looked up from his book and gave me an amused smile. Hm, so familiar.

"Dumbledore, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore." I stared at him with my mouth open. This was Albus Dumbledore. Of course, he lived somewhere in Godric's Hollow, how could I have forgotten?

"Yeah, I know my name is long, but it's not that uncommon", he said with a grin. Then his grin slid off, and his eyes became cold. "Unless you're gawking at me, because of my father." Huh? I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about.

"What?", I asked stupidly. I was surprisingly acting my age really well today. Unintentionally. Dumbledore simply shrugged, and went back to his book.

While he calmly ignored me, I was busy scolding my brain for not being able to connect the stupid dots faster. Of course. A few months ago, there was a huge scandal about Percival Dumbledore, Albus' father, who was sent to Azkaban for attacking three male muggles. I knew a little more about the incident from my previous life. Percival Dumbledore had attacked the muggles in a fit of anger, because the muggle boys had attacked his daughter, Ariana.

I hesitantly sat down next to him. I was surprised that he hadn't told me to leave yet. As I stared at the boy next to me, I don't know why, but I decided to ask him a question.

"Um, so how's your sister?", I asked awkwardly. I wasn't really expecting an answer. I knew it was a personal question and I wouldn't have answered, if I were in his position. However, he stopped ignoring my existence, closed his book, and looked up towards the sky. He took a moment to study the clouds, but answered me nonetheless.

"She's... not the same", he replied in a barely audible whisper.

"I'm sorry about your sister, well, and your father. I don't think he deserved being sent to Azkaban", I said as I plucked the grass around me. He turned his head towards me. His eyes weren't so cold anymore, but they were still guarded.

"You're right. He didn't deserve it. It was those nasty muggles who caused this whole mess." He paused, and his eyes became cold again. "I felt so hopeless, so useless when I couldn't do anything to save my father and my sister, or even punish those muggles. But when I grow up, things will be different." As I looked at the young boy in front of me, I slowly started to understand why he had, at one point, wanted to dominate all muggles. The muggles had destroyed his family, as well as his childhood.

"Well err, how old are you currently?"

"Ten, going to Hogwarts next year. People view me as the son of a muggle-hater, but I'll prove them wrong." I was surprised by the bitterness in his tone. It wasn't that far off to the bitterness Voldemort had when he was a child, which I saw in the Pensieve. Perhaps that was why Dumbledore was able to understand Tom, and anticipate his path to darkness.

"Don't let others' opinions affect you. As long as you're sure of who you are, nothing else should matter", I commented, chucking pieces of grass into the air, and letting it fall down. He simply nodded, and looked towards the sky again. I decided to change the topic to a lighter matter. " Anyways, why weren't you at my birthday celebration today? Nearly everyone in Godric's Hollow was invited."

"Hm, so you _are_ one of the Potter's boy, what's your name?"

"Harry."

"Well Harry, I didn't go, because I wasn't invited. Who would invite the son of a muggle-hater? Even if my dad didn't go to Azkaban, I'm a half-blood. The pure-blood society isn't really fond of us." Crap. So much for trying to change the subject.

Charlus wouldn't have cared too much about him being a half-blood, but they probably didn't invite him for being the son of a Percival Dumbledore. Geez, you're on a roll today, Harry.

"We're such bright little conversationalists, aren't we? Bringing up all the sunniest topics to merrily chat about." Dumbledore merely gave me a tight smile. I slightly grimaced. Did that offend him? We sat there awkwardly in silence for a few minutes. Great, I'm a brilliant conversation killer too. After a few more minutes, I decided to break the silence. "So, why are you reading that book?", I asked as I pointed to the book on his lap, which turned out to be _The Tales of Beedle the Bard._

"Just a light read", he replied as he shrugged his shoulder. I knew it had to do something with _The Tale of the Three Brothers_ and the Hallows, but I decided to let it go. "Anyways Harry, you should go back to your family, before Aurors floo into Godric's Hollow." I sighed, and got up. He was right. Knowing Dorea, she would certainly floo-call the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, if I didn't check in with her soon. I gave him a smile and a nod, and was walking back towards the cottage, when he called me back. "By the way, how old are you, Harry?"

"I turned six today." His eyes widened a bit, so I gave him a cheeky grin, and continued walking. In a barely audible whisper, I heard him wish me a "Happy birthday". I smiled to myself, but didn't turn back.

Hm, Dumbledore didn't have his twinkle eye power yet, interesting.

* * *

By the time my family and I returned to Potter Manor, I started wondering about Voldemort. I assumed that Dumbledore and Voldemort would be the same age as me, since we should have all entered the mortal realm at about the same time. So I was extremely baffled when Dumbledore turned out to be 4 years older than me. As I sat in the library, I tried to find a pattern or a consistency that explained the difference in age between the people in this world and their counterparts in the previous world. However, I simply couldn't figure anything out. In the end, I assumed that Voldemort could be anything between an old man and a sperm.

Another thought occurred as I thought about Dumbledore's past. For me, my childhood turned out to be different from my previous life. However for Dumbledore, his childhood was almost identical to his previous life. So would Voldemort's childhood be different this time around, or would he be in the same orphanage that influenced him to become a Dark Lord? I wondered if I should somehow interfere if that was the case. However, I was bloody 6 years old for the love of Merlin. Then I tried imagining a six year old boy trying to adopt a child. Hm, definitely wouldn't work.

Against my better judgement, I decided to plan a trip to see if Voldemort was truly in the orphanage. I knew this would be very difficult, but my curiosity just wouldn't me be. I wasn't exactly sure what to do if Voldemort was really there, but I decided to make further plans after confirming his presence or absence. If I remembered correctly, he grew up in the Wool's Orphanage in London. So with a Hufflepuff's determination and Gryffindor's bravery, I summoned my quill and parchment to plan out my brilliant escape and travel to the orphanage. As I sat there comfortably with a quill in hand, I couldn't help, but let a mad cackle escape my lips. What? It's all part of the prodigy role-playing.


	3. Chapter 3

_Wool's Orphanage_

* * *

Slightly out of breath -yes I need more exercise- I looked over my shoulder to glance at Potter Manor. It stood elegantly in a large clearing, next to a small pond, with a huge Quidditch field on the left. The grass on the field were a perfect hue of light green, whereas the garden near the pond created a picturesque scene. I lifted my hand to my eyes to block the dancing light in my vision, telling me that the sun was slowly rising.

With five house-elves, an overly worried mother, and an annoying twin brother, the only time that I would be able to successfully leave the Potter Manor, would be when everyone else was asleep. So early in the morning, after making sure that my blessed and damned Cloak of Invisibility was in my bag, as well as a few Galleons, pounds, and other goodies, I left the manor as quickly and silently as I could. Inconveniently, I couldn't simply use my Invisibility Cloak, due to a special ward, created by one of my ancestors that disabled any magic concerning invisibility. Yes, that's what happens when an Invisibility Cloak had been in a family for a long time, especially in a family with pranking tendencies.

After catching my breath, I took a few more steps to ensure that I was outside the wards surrounding the manor, and then sat down on a stone behind a large bush. I took out a small phial of potion from my bag, and tipped it into my mouth. Aging Potion, yummy. After the effects occurred, I viewed myself in a small mirror that I brought along with me. Ah, I had passed the age I was aiming for, but controlling the amount of consumption could be tricky at times. Shredding off my too small silk pajamas, I changed into an adult sized muggle outfit that gave me a James Bond look. Yes, I took my bloody time to prepare well for this whole adventure. I also had a spare robe in my bag, just in case I wanted to visit Diagon Alley afterwards.

Once I was done changing, I realized that a man in his early 30s with a James Bond look, carrying a child size bag that had golden snitches and hippogriffs flying around would look very...bizarre. Just to clarify, it was Dorea who chose the design. Therefore, I reluctantly transfigured the bag into a coin, and slipped it into my pocket.

Despite my current look, I was still in a child's body, so I was worried about the amount of wandless magic I could handle, before magical exhaustion would hit. Since I wasn't aware of the limit of my abilities, I had to be cautious with the amount of magic I used, if I wanted to be able to wandlessly apparate back home by the end of the day.

Just to be on the safe side, in case the laws were slightly different from my previous life, I had looked up the laws involving both Apparition and the Trace. For Apparition, a person was technically able to apparate without a license, but if he or she was caught apparating without one, that person would be heavily fined. It was very similar to the laws concerning muggle's driving license, where a person would be heavily fined, if the person was caught driving as a minor or driving without a license.

As for the Trace, from my personal experience, as well as from the research that I've done, I found that the Trace Charm was put on the children once they started attending any magical school. So basically, at around the age of 11. Therefore, most accidental magic performed by young children are excused by the ministry. However, if students between the ages of 11 and 17 performed magic outside of school, the ministry would be able to trace it, unless the magic was performed in or near areas such as wizarding homes and towns.

As I paced around the rock that I was sitting on earlier, I did my best to concentrate on the three Ds. There were a couple of times where I had been able to successfully wandlessly apparate in my previous life, such as during the horcrux hunt, but being in a 6 years old body, left me feeling a bit uneasy. However, ignoring my pesky little worries, I continued going over my three Ds, and then concentrated on the location of Wool's Orphanage, which I vaguely remembered from my previous life. All the sudden, I felt the sensation of being forced through a tight rubber tube, and then found myself behind a white building. I did a quick check on my whole body, making sure that everything was where it should be. Though I did feel a slight tingling sensation on one of my eyebrows, I decided to simply ignore it.

Quietly walking around, I saw a small area closed off by cheap wire fence, connected to the orphanage, where a few wooden toys were lying about in the grass. The orphanage itself was three stories high, with paint peeling off in certain areas. Though it didn't look too bad, it also didn't look like a pleasant place to live. After a short tour around the area, I found myself in front of an ancient wooden door. Deciding not to bother with the authority figures within this building, I looked around, changed the coin back to my bag, whipped the Invisibility Cloak out, and made my way through the wooden door.

Inside, similar to that of the outside was neat, but uninviting. The interior walls were white, while the floor seemed to be covered in dark wooden tiles. After a quick look around the first floor, I made my way up the stairs to the second floor. Walking down the narrow dingy hall, I scanned the nameplates on each door, and stopped when I found the name "Tom Riddle". Ah, so Voldemort did end up in the orphanage after all.

I waited for a few minutes after quietly knocking on the door, but realized that Riddle probably wasn't in his room. I cautiously entered the room, as I took off the Invisibility Cloak. Stuffing the cloak into the bag, I went over to the other side of the room, and sat in a small wooden chair beside the bed. Looking around, I noticed how similar it was to the room in his previous life.

As I was mindlessly twiddling my thumbs, the door opened and a small boy stepped in. Young Tom Riddle was a handsome boy with dark hair and dark eyes. He looked older than 6 years old, but definitely younger than 11. As he stood there, somewhat shocked, I gave him a charming smile and motioned him to sit down on his bed. That shook him out of his temporary shock, and he quickly narrowed his eyes, taking me in.

"Who are you?" he asked, taking a step back towards the door. I sighed, not knowing where to start. I honestly didn't plan this far ahead. A part of me was hoping that he wouldn't be in the orphanage.

"Well... I knew your parents", I said, not really feeling bad about the lie. He didn't move from his spot near the door, but I saw his clenched fist slightly loosen.

"I don't believe you", he declared. Oh Merlin, this was going to be troublesome.

"Believe it or not, I really did know them. I received news not too long ago that the son of Tom Riddle and Merope Gaunt was living here, so I came to visit. Now come here and sit on your bed, before I make you." I gave him my famous no-nonsense glare, and tried to imitate McGonagall's demeanor. He cautiously approached his bed, and sat down, facing me. His body seemed a bit stiff, as he viewed my appearance. Opps, the James Bond look. Without needing to use Legilimency, I knew he was suspecting me to be from the government. I shook my head in exasperation at the overly cautious boy in front of me.

"Calm down, I'm not someone from the government". I could tell he didn't believe me, so I decided to take a leaf out of Dumbledore's book, and show him some bloody magic. I used a quick wandless Switching Spell, and found myself in a splendid navy robe, the one that I -stole-borrowed from my dad a few days ago.

This wasn't my brightest moment, but I really didn't know how to approach kid Voldemort. I decided I should just be blunt, cut the small talk, no need to prepare him for possible shock, and just tell him all about magic.

"I'm a Wizard, lad. Not from the government." I wanted the chuckle as I saw his dark eyes slightly widen.

"A wizard." He had a slightly mad glint in his eyes. "I can make things move without touching them, and animals do what I want them to do without me training them. I can also make bad things happen, and hurt people who are mean to me." Then he paused, and looked me in the eyes. "I'm a wizard too, aren't I?" He asked with some hesitancy, which I didn't expect from kid Voldemort. I sighed as I looked at the kid. It wasn't really my intention to be the first one to introduce him to the wizarding world, but here goes nothing. "And Sir, why is one of your eyebrows missing?"

Great.


	4. Chapter 4

_Diagon Alley_

* * *

Turns out, Tom was currently 8 years old. After asking him a few more questions about himself, as well as his life in the orphanage, I was starting to get a faint impression of him putting up the act of a polite young child. _Hm, maybe the hesitancy that I saw in his eyes earlier was also simply an act? _Despite my suspicions, I played along, and decided to let him believe that I bought into his act. After all, Dumbledore wasn't really effective with his Gryffindor approach to discipline the boy during their first meeting.

I explained some of the basic thing concerning the magical world, such as the Ministry of Magic, and Hogwarts. He absorbed every bit of information like a squishy sponge, and always had a look of realistic awe painted on his face. To my immense relief, he didn't ask any questions about his parents. I really didn't want to spout any more lies, although a part of me did kind of worry about his lack of curiosity. Not one for explanations, I decided to just show him Diagon Alley, the place where I first experienced the magical world, myself.

As we walked through the crowd, I gleefully stole glances of kid Voldemort trying his best to remain indifferent, but failing oh so greatly. Good blackmail material, you know? Though he didn't obnoxiously turn his head left and right, as I did when I first ventured into Diagon Alley, I could see his eyes wildly moving, taking in the small bizarre shops, witches and wizards doing their shopping, and all the magic that seemed to be present everywhere.

We didn't go into any shops, but instead I gave him a short tour, answering any questions he threw at me, which weren't that many. After the tour, I decided to treat him to ice cream. So we made our way towards Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where he politely accepted a double chocolate ice cream.

As we quietly ate our ice cream, I was thinking about how he didn't request to go by himself like he did when Albus went to visit in the memory. Perhaps 3 years made a difference? I was brought out of my thoughts, as he asked me a question.

"Sir, I'll be going to Hogwarts when I turn 11?"

"Right, lad. A professor will come visit you, and explain everything in greater details."

Kid Voldemort nodded, and continued eating his ice cream. His eyes were still moving rapidly in his eye socket, taking in everything, as if he were trying to memorize every little detail in his field of vision. I didn't really want to dissolve his fascination with the magical world, so I hesitated as I continued, "the magical world isn't as friendly as it seems. Just like in the muggle world, there are faults, corruption, prejudices, good wizards, as well as bad ones. One of the prejudice that might affect you will be the pure-blood supremacy." At this, he gave me a questioning look.

"Pure-blood supremacy?"

"It's a belief that those who descended from other wizards and witches are superior to those were born from muggle parents. Muggles are non-magical people, by the way. Wizards and witches born from muggle parents are called muggle-borns. There is a derogatory term that is frequently used by the pure-blood society, which is mudblood."

"Weren't my parents both a wizard and a witch? Since you were friends with them."

"Well", I said as I took my time eating the last bite of my ice cream. "You're mother was a witch, but you're father was a muggle, which makes you a half-blood. Half-bloods are more tolerated by the pure-blood society, but you will still face a bit of discrimination, nonetheless." I hesitated once more, as I considered telling him about the whole Slytherin business. He was going to figure it out sooner or later, so I didn't see how it would make much difference telling him now. I cleared my throat as I continued, "but, don't let anyone look down upon you just because you're a half-blood. You remember me telling you about the four great founders of Hogwarts?" He nodded his head. "Well, you're the heir of Slytherin, and I believe you'll become a great wizard one day." Ah, I couldn't believe I was saying this to kid Voldemort.

All of the sudden, he dropped his polite act, and gave me a nasty sneer.

"Is that why you're being so nice to me?" he asked. I shook my head in exasperation. Seriously this kid!

"That is some twisted way of thinking, lad. I'm honestly doing this for your mother." He narrowed his eyes at me.

"You're lying." It was kind of scary how he could detect lies even at such a young age. But of course, I didn't go around preaching about about my greatness for nothing. Unfazed, I smoothly replied back.

"Look here, you seriously need to learn how to trust others. Through trust, we establish relationships, and with relationships, we create meaning in our life." I took a quick glance at kid Voldemort, and he simply had a blank mask on. Obviously, he believed my words were simply bullshit. Hell, I wasn't sure if I believed it myself. However I continued, knowing that it would benefit his lack of morality, by exposing him to some _positive _words. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to judge you, or tell you you're a bad kid or anything. I respect your independence and all, but it's good to have some semblance of balance in our life. As in, be well-rounded. There are times when you've got to be strict, and ruthless, but there are also times when you really have to try and see the goodness in other-"

"You're rambling, and it's annoying." He dropped of all his masks, stood up from his seat, and sneered at me. "I don't need the likes of you telling me what to do. Don't think you'll be in my grace, simply because you've taken me to this pathetic town." With that he left the table, and started to walk away towards Merlin knows where. I wasn't sure if I saw correctly, but for a moment I thought I saw disappointment in his eyes. Does he believe that I was simply using him?

I quickly stood up from my seat as well, groaning at the childish antics of kid Voldemort. Seriously? What does he think he'll accomplish by immaturely walking away? I started following after him, but him being a young child was able to easily breeze his way through the crowd at a fast pace. Whereas I was stuck, apologizing as I bumped into other people, as well as waiting politely as witches walked by. By the time I was able to spot Kid Voldemort again, I saw him walking down towards Knockturn Alley.

Suppressing the vulgar language that was at the tip of my tongue, I quickly flew down the stairs towards Knockturn Alley, turning left and right, looking for the little boy.

All humor, and exasperation left me as I spotted Tom Riddle stuck in a corner of a dark alley, being towered over by a vampire. For the first time in my life, I saw fear in his eyes, as he stared up at the vampire. Before the vampire could step any closer to Tom Riddle, wandlessly conjured metal chains wrapped around the vampire's body. For a moment, it seemed as if the vampire was successfully bound, but with his incredible strength, he easily crushed the chains around him, and turned towards me. The vampire was obviously furious as he landed a fist in my stomach with his incredible speed, in a blink of an eye.

"You dare disturb me from my meal?" he hissed in my face. More than the physical pain he caused me, the embarrassment of being caught off guard, especially in front of kid Voldemort, left me merciless. I ignored the pain below my chest, and grabbed his neck as I viciously cast _Crucio_. In the next few seconds, his screams rang off the stone brick wall, and I roughly let him go, letting him slump down onto the ground.

"Don't you dare touch the boy", I said to the heavily panting and whimpering lump of cloth. I then turned towards Tom Riddle, and cringed. His eyes still held fear as his eyes locked with mine, but also awe. Mentally sighing, I walked over to kid Voldemort to check whether he was bitten or injured.

"I'm fine, he didn't hurt me", he replied with a mask of indifference back on his face.

"Why did you come down to Knockturn Alley?"

"None of your business." He said as he shrugged, staring at a point beyond my shoulder. Not knowing how to reply to his stupid answer, I gently placed a hand on his shoulder, and steered him out of the dark alley.

"Come on lad, let's get you home."

Before we reached the apparition zone, kid Voldemort stopped me, and took out two raw ruby gems from his pocket. When I gave him a questioning look, he simply gave me a blank stare.

"I nicked it from that- that _thing_ earlier." Then he handed me one of the gems, and looked away, whispering, "good followers should be rewarded appropriately ". With that, he started walking ahead. A small smile appeared on my face, happy to receive a 'thank you', albeit an awkward one from kid Voldemort. So he's not all pure darkness, evil, soulless monster after all.

Once I apparated us back to his room, he took a seat on his bed, and looked at me intensely.

"Will you be coming back?", he asked with a look of boredom on his face. Despite all his acting, a part of me knew that he did, in fact, wanted me to come back and visit. However, I thought about Dorea and her wrath, and I knew it would be nearly impossible for me to escape again. In addition, not only was it risky, but creating an alter-ego just for kid Voldemort was too troublesome, and not really worth the effort. So I smiled at him sadly, and told him as honestly as I could.

"Probably not lad, moving to another country soon. I wanted to visit you at least once before leaving." He simply nodded his head, looking as if he didn't care whether I came back or not. I chuckled as I continued, "You're not a bad kid... just misunderstood."

He slightly narrowed his eyes, but before he could retort, I ruffled his hair, and popped away before he could kill me.

Once I came back to the spot behind the bush, I took another potion that reverted me back to my true age. I quickly got dressed into my 6 years old robe, and walked slowly back towards the manor, dreading the Wrath of Dorea Potter née _Black_. But even as I was viciously scolded and grounded, I was still smiling. The whole trip had actually turned out to be... not so bad.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hogwarts Express_

* * *

After the first encounter with Albus and Tom, I did not see them again during the next 5 years.

The night I returned from the orphanage, Dorea was absolutely livid. She took her time to yell at me for at least 3 hours, and then arranged a house-elf to follow me around, literally everywhere, for the next whole year. About an year and a half later, Dorea finally trusted me enough to grant me a bit of freedom, such as using the loo without a house-elf being there to watch.

Besides the whole elf stalking business, life was pretty much the same. Fancy balls were held during the holidays, while both adults and children from light pure-blood families trespassed my personal space -Potter Manor- for frivolous reasons such as, _let's have some tea, while we discuss potential brides for James and Harry. _

Ever since the age of 7, James and I were given private lessons concerning Magical Theory, Potions, Wizarding Laws and Customs-dance lessons-, as well as History of Magic. However, most of the time, I skipped the private lessons in favor of reading in the library. At first Dorea was enraged, but after realizing that I knew more than our private tutor herself, she grudgingly let me be. James, to no avail, had always complained about how unfair it was, until he was pacified with new toys. After a while, James didn't seem to care whether I attended the lessons or not, but complained anyway to annoy Dorea till she bought him everything he wanted. Times like these, I sometimes felt gratitude towards Dudley for conditioning me to behave around spoiled children. If not, James would have lost at least an arm, an eye and his toes, by now.

Besides avoiding my twin brother like the plague, five years had passed relatively peacefully. In addition to the peaceful and carefree childhood, another thing that made me absolutely giddy was my powerful wandless magic. I knew that if I truly wanted to, I would probably be able to cast at least 9 endless, wandless, and nonverbal _Avada Kedavra_, without getting exhausted. Hell, with my wandless magic and my years of experience, I was confident that I could even take down a Dark Lord or two.

On the day we got our Hogwarts letter, our family had gone to Diagon Alley to buy all our school supplies. Predictably, Charlus and James ran off to Quality Quidditch Supplies, while Dorea and I did the actual shopping. Afterwards, all four of us meet in front of Ollivanders Wand Shop to purchase the last item, our wands. James had received the same wand from my past life, and I... also did too. Although I did like my previous wand, I hoping for something new.

On the morning of September 1st, I found myself sitting at the dining table, happily munching on a toast, while drinking milk. Across from me, Dorea's expression seemed to become darker and darker, until she called for one of our house-elves.

"Minky!" There was a small pop, and a house-elf in a clean light blue pillowcase appeared besides Dorea.

"Did Mistress call Minky?"

"Minky, go to James' room and tell him to quickly finish packing and come down to breakfast within 5 minutes. If not, he'll be banned from attending Hogwarts this year."

"Yes, Mistress!" With a pop, the elf was gone.

"Now now, dear. Don't you think you're being a little harsh? He was probably too excited to sleep last night, and woke up late this morning."

"Father, I woke up just fine", I said with a grin. Being annoying, just for the sake of being annoying. Dorea sent me a mild glare, telling me to hush up.

"That's not a valid excuse, Charlus! I've reminded him at least 6 times during the past week, telling him to start packing, but when I checked in this morning, he didn't even start! I don't know what to do with that boy."

"My sympathies, mother", I piped up. Charlus merely chuckled at Dorea who was still huffing and puffing.

"My dear, I was the same as James at his age, but look how great I turned out." Dorea slightly softened as she and Charlus shared a moment, while I nearly choked on a piece of toast as I watched. Though I didn't truly consider them my parents, it was still disturbing to watch.

Moments later, James entered the dining room, thankfully interrupting Dorea and Charlus. His hair was messier than messy, and his robes were on backwards. He cheerfully took a seat next to me, and yelled in my ears.

"MORNING, HARRY!"

"JAMES, I'M GOING TO BE DEAF BY THE AGE OF 20 IF YOU CONTINUE THIS STUPID MORNING GREETINGS!" I yelled back in his ears. It was sometimes fun to be a child again.

"BOYS! You will not be yelling at the table! _Unbelievable._ If this happens one more time, I'll be sending you both to your grandfather's home for proper etiquette lessons." James' face visibly paled, while I sat there smirking at my twin brother. Hehe, when will he realize that Dorea was simply bluffing?

As Charlus gave James and I a wink, another house-elf popped in and placed a handsome plate of toast and eggs in front of James, while placing a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ on the table next to Charlus and I. Charlus, who was done with his meal, began to read, while I decided to read it after I finished my last bit of eggs.

"Interesting...", he murmured.

"What's interesting, dad?" James asked.

"Hmm? You'll see, son." Charlus replied absently, without looking up from the _Daily Prophet_. James gave Charlus a pout, while I simply ignored his comment. I would be reading the _Daily Prophet_ soon, so I wasn't as curious.

However, before I finished eating my last bite of eggs, James monstrously stuffed his toast into his mouth, grabbed my copy of the _Daily Prophet, _and ran out of the room. Dorea called after him, telling him not to run, while Charlus merely chuckled like always. I simply sighed in exasperation, and decided not to respond to his immature act of stealing. I decided to wait until he got bored, and abandon it somewhere around the manor.

After the meal, a house-elf brought our luggage down, while Dorea angrily told James that he was wearing his robe on backwards. A bit more commotion later, all four of us were standing on Platform 9¾ , staring at the nostalgic Hogwarts Express. James looked impressed, while Charlus and Dorea were smiling down at him fondly.

"Wait till you get to Hogwarts, son. That castle is truly magnificent," Charlus told James. As Charlus helped the both of us get our luggage onto the train, Dorea kept patting down James' and my hair, trying to flatten it somewhat. However, when James spotted Frank on the train, he expertly escaped Dorea and ran off to greet his friend. Meanwhile, Dorea placed all her attention on me.

"Harry dear, despite all the bickering, I know you truly care about your brother. Even if it's only a 2 minutes difference, you're still the older brother, so I want you to take care of him alright?" I gave her a smile and nodded. She smiled back, and wrapped her arms around me. "I'll miss you two so much. Behave, and make your father and I proud." With that, she gave me a kiss on the cheek, while Charlus gave my shoulder a squeeze. After waving goodbye, the two apparated away.

Picking up my luggage, I started to look for an empty compartment. I did not want to sit with my brother and Frank, and be their prank target.

As I walked by the full compartments, I kept hearing the name Doubleell. Professor Doubleell was currently the Headmistress at Hogwarts, but I wasn't sure why everyone was excitedly whispering about her. I simply shrugged my shoulders, and continued on.

By the fourth to last compartment, I was starting to lose hope. However, the next compartment was fairly empty, with only a boy sitting in the farthest corner. I decided that this will have to do, and brought my luggage in.

As I sat on the opposite seat across the boy, I realized who he was, and let out an embarrassing gasp. The black hair, hooked nose boy looked up from the book he was reading, and glared at me.

"What?", he demanded. He warily eyed me from head to toes, taking in my expensive silk robe, and then turned away, his face darkening. His cheeks, however, started reddening and he quickly rolled his sleeves up, trying to hide the fact that they were a few inches too short for him. I was demanding my brain to come up with a quick reply to his question.

"My stomach... hurts." I quickly got up, and left the compartment, pretending to go look for the loo.

Meanwhile, I decided to step off the train to sit outside on a bench for a while before heading back. There were still a couple of minutes left till departure, but only a few families remained. I spied on the closest family, and was surprised to see the Weasleys.

Two identical looking men were there talking to a girl and a young boy. The men appeared to be in their mid-twenties, but I was able to easily recognize them as Fred and George, while the younger boy and girl were Ron and Ginny. _Ginny._ I had mixed feelings about her. A part of me missed her, but another part of me was happy to be single again. I quietly cast a spell, to listen in on their conversation.

"I want to go to Hogwarts too!", Ron yelled. Ginny placed a hand on his shoulder, and slightly lowered her head so that they were at eye level.

"Ron, you'll be going next year. Listen to Fred and George, and stay out of trouble okay? If I get a single letter from either one of them about your misbehavior, you'll be severely grounded." Ron lowered his head, and pouted.

"Come on sis, you're being too harsh on our little bro", said Fred or George. Ginny simply looked up at the both of them, with a blank mask on her face.

"As the only woman in our family, I have to be strict." With that, she gave Ron a brief hug and walked towards Hogwarts Express. Both George and Fred had a sad smile on their face, and apparated away with Ron. As I sat on there on the bench, thinking about the conversation I overheard, I realized that Ginny, who looked around 13, hadn't smiled at all during that small interaction with her family.

Once I got back to my compartment, I sat across Snape once more, and awkwardly cleared my throat. He looked up from his book and looked thoroughly annoyed.

"Hello, I'm Harry Potter. Nice to meet you." He took a moment to scrutinize me, and then he reluctantly shook my hands.

"Snape. Severus Snape."

"First year?" I asked, trying to do the whole 'small talk'. He simply nodded, and went back to his reading. After a few minutes of silence, I tried again.

"So what are you reading about?" He looked up from his book, and glared at me.

"Potter, what do you want? Can't you see that I'm clearly trying to ignore your existence? Or do I have to spell it out for you?" Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed.

"Well, Snape", I drawled. "By the strong reaction you have towards friendly questions, I can clearly tell that you have been diagnosed with friendless-jerkitis. However, lucky for you I know how to cure it." Snape gritted his teeth.

"Thanks for your concern, but you shutting up would be the best _cure_." He returned to his book again. Greasy git. I tried, I really did. Not wanting to put any more effort on Snape, I took out a book from my trunk, and also started reading. Both of us remained quiet, reading our own book, until the Trolley Lady came by.

"Anything off the trolley, dear?" I swear, that's the only thing she ever says. I had a few suspicions during my younger years, thinking she was some sort of robot, until Hermione kindly referred to _Hogwarts: A History_, and told us that magic and electronics do not mix.

I quickly got out of my seat, and bought one of everything. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Snape's cheeks redden again. Once the Trolley Lady closed the door, I threw a Chocolate Frog at Snape.

"What are you-", he stared at the Chocolate Frog that I accidentally threw at his face. He growled, and threw it back at me. "I don't want it."

"Well it's a good thing I don't care. Just take it. You're stomach is grumbling, and it's distracting." He's cheeks turned even redder, as I threw the chocolate back at him.

"I don't like sweets! Stop acting like a crazy baboon and just leave me alone." He threw it back at me, again.

"Crazy baboon?!" I stopped the Chocolate Frog in midair, a few inches from my face. Then, using a finger I banished it towards him, and made it float a few inches above his hands. "For Merlin's sake, just eat it. You won't die, I promise" I said as I rolled my eyes. His eyes were wide, while his mouth was slightly open. Without realizing what he was doing, he obediently plucked the chocolate out of the air, and slowly started munching on the frog.

"That-was that wandless magic?", he asked.

"Yes it was." He continued staring at me, and then suddenly looked down towards his book, finally realizing that he was gaping at me. The compartment became silent again, and we both returned to our books.

The second time the compartment door opened, James walked in with Frank, and another handsome boy with dark hair. _Sirius._

"Harry, I finally found you! I've been looking all over for you." Then he turned towards Snape, and wrinkled his nose as he saw his shabby robes, and greasy hair. "Why are you sitting with a boy like him?", James asked. Snape's face darkened, while I sighed in exasperation.

"James, can you not-"

"Anyway, doesn't matter. I wanted to introduce you to Sirius Black here." He waved his hand towards Sirius with a huge smile on his face. "Yeah I know he's a Black and all, but he's absolutely brilliant." Sirius grinned at James' comment.

"So _you're _his twin. Wow, you two really are identical, well except for the eyes. Yours are a lot cooler", said Sirius. I smiled at him. It was nice to see him again, even if he wasn't the same Sirius as my godfather.

"Oi!" James yelled in indignation. "I'll have you know that I'm a lot more popular with the girls, then this bookworm here." I was just about to retort when Snape cut in.

"Baboon, if you really have to train the animals, I would appreciate if you took your little circus outside of the compartment to do so." Right after his nice little comment, hell broke loose. I was holding back James, while Frank was holding back Sirius.

"You greasy little git. How dare you call us animals? At least we have the decency to shower!", Sirius snarled. Snape sat there smirking.

"So quick to lose your temper. You'll be a Gryffindor, no doubt." Snape said, as if being a Gryffindor was a horrible insult.

"Snape, you're not helping." I gritted my teeth, as I pushed the four boys out of the compartment. Once I managed to get all of us out, I closed the door behind me, and turned towards my brother and his friends. Frank seemed to find the whole thing funny, while Sirius and James were fuming. Yep, Gryffindors.

"That was very exciting and all, but I promised to meet up with some of my second year friends. See you all at the feast!" Frank said, and quickly left the scene.

"What a nasty little git! Why are you sitting with him? Move your trunk to our compartment and sit with us!" James demanded.

"He's not that bad-"

"Are you kidding, Potter? Not that bad? We obviously know which house he'll end up in." Sirius glared at the door, looking as if he was trying to pierce a hole through it. I simply sighed, and told them with a weak smile on my face.

"Really, he's not that bad. Anyways, I think we'll be arriving soon, so there's no point moving to another compartment. Once again, nice to meet you Sirius, I'll see you two at the feast, yeah?"

"Alright." James mumbled. As the two of them left, I slid back into the compartment. Once I was inside, I sent a half-hearted glare towards Snape.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked. Snape shrugged, and gave me a blank look.

"They were disturbing the peace and quiet, which they had no right to do within my compartment."

"_Our _compartment. And, you really need to add some new words to your dictionary like the words _'nice'_, and _'polite'_." Snape scoffed at my comment.

"I'm _nice_ and polite, when I find it necessary", he retorted. I smirked at him.

"Like right now, huh?" He simply rolled his eyes.

* * *

**AN**: I try my best to use British English, but I know I'm not very good at it. I apologize for those of you who find it annoying when I make mistakes.


	6. Chapter 6

_Sorting_

* * *

When the announcement, indicating 10 minutes till arrival,was made, I changed into my school robe. Snape already had his on. Though I knew Snape wouldn't appreciate _pity_, I couldn't help, but feel a painful twist in my chest, when I realized the shabby robe that he had been wearing the whole day, was his school robe. The quality of his robe was worse than the pillowcases that our house-elves wore.

As soon as we got onto the platform, James quickly spotted me, and dragged me away from Snape. Hagrid was there calling for the first years, and led us towards the small boats to cross the lake. Though I didn't outwardly express my feelings, it was somewhat nostalgic to see Hagrid again.

Sirius, James, and I got on a boat that already had a girl sitting on one side. She looked strangely familiar, but I couldn't exactly recall who she was. As the boat started moving, I looked around at the other first years. I smiled and nodded as I saw a few familiar faces, while James waved his hands around madly when he saw his friends.

Once Hogwarts came into our vision, many students gasped, while I chuckled at their awe. By the time we all got off our boats, Hagrid gathered us around, and knocked on a large wooden door. When the door slowly opened, I was surprised to see who the professor was.

"Professor Evans! Got all the firs' years here with me", said Hagrid.

"Thank you, Hagrid", she replied and turned towards us. Mum? I was stunned. She appeared to be in her late 30s, and was eying each and every one of the students closely. Just like Professor McGonagall, from head to toes, everything about her was shouting, _do not mess with me_.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, now mind your steps, and follow me." With that, she guided us towards the Great Hall. I turned towards James, and his eyes seemed dazed, while his mouth formed a smile. I then turned towards Sirius, who was also looking at James with a puzzled look on his face.

"What's wrong with James?" he asked. I smirked at him.

"I think he's got a crush on Professor Evans."

"What?! James, mate! She's too old for you, snap out of it!" Sirius looked so seriously troubled by this revelation that I couldn't help, but grin.

"Don't worry, it's probably just puppy love." I informed Sirius. James, however, wasn't paying attention to either of us, and simply looked towards Sirius, and spoke in a dreamy voice.

"Did you see how beautiful her hair was?" I simply rolled my eyes, and looked around to spy on Snape. He was walking up in the front, not faring much better than James. The girl who sat in the boat with us was walking closely behind, angrily muttering something at him. However, Snape ignored her, in favor of staring at Professor Evans.

"She's not married, is she?" James ask. I turned back towards my twin brother, and smacked his head. Sirius seemed to enjoy the show, and gave me a wink.

When we walked into the Great Hall, I heard a girl behind us whisper to the person next to her.

"The ceiling has been enchanted to reflect the sky outside. I read it in _Hogwarts: A History_." Hearing those familiar words, I snapped my head around to look at the girl behind me. To my disappointment, it wasn't Hermione, but another girl with sharp facial features, while her hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. She too, looked oddly familiar.

After the short a capella was over, the Sorting started, and I watched as Professor Evans started calling out student's name. It was sort of weird seeing my mother at Hogwarts, but I've become so accustomed to _weird_, that I quickly adjusted to this odd turn of events. As the sorting went on, I barely paid attention to any of the students. Not surprisingly, Sirius Black was sorted into Gryffindor. However, what did bring me out of my stupor was a particular name I never expected to hear at Hogwarts.

"Evans, Pentunia!" I watched in horror, as the girl who sat in the same boat as James, Sirius, and I, walked towards the stool. Somewhere on the far right, I saw Snape mildly glaring at her, while the people across the Great Hall whispered to one another.

"I heard she's the baby sister of Professor Evans."

"Really? Their age gap is huge though-" The whispering was interrupted by the Hat.

"RAVENCLAW!" The Ravenclaw table were clapping madly, happy to have the sister of a professor, while the corner of Professor Evans' lips tugged upwards for a brief moment. As more students were sorted, Remus Lupin made Gryffindor. Once Remus was seated, Professor Evans called for the next student.

"McGonagall, Minerva." I resisted the urge to gasp, as the girl who sounded a lot like Hermione, eagerly jammed the Hat onto her head.

"GRYFFINDOR!" That much was obvious.

A few more students were sorted, and to my displeasure, Peter Pettigrew ended up in Gryffindor as well.

"Potter, Harry." As I walked up to the stool, Professor Evans gave me an odd look. I felt a bit uneasy under her gaze, so I avoided her eyes, and placed the Hat on my head. Though I am 140+ years old, mothers still have a certain power over you, I suppose.

"Well, well, well, Harry Potter. It seems as if this isn't the first time you've been sorted." My body stiffened at his comment. Against my will, my mind wandered over to Albus, and Riddle.

"Ah, those two as well? Well, isn't this interesting."

_Dammit! _Trying not to think about those two led me to the memory of the discussion we had with Death. _Stupid Polar Bear Effect._

"Relax, you know I won't tell a soul."

_Yes, I know, but still..._

"A very curious case, indeed, but that's not what we're here to discuss. We shall continue on with the sorting."

_Right. _

"Last time you've been sorted into Gryffindor, why not try another house? I've always said you would do great in SLYTHERIN!" The Hat yelled out the last word. I got up in surprise. BLOODY HELL. Sneaky little Hat! He placed me in Slytherin without even giving me the chance to think. I let out a little sigh, and made my way towards the Slytherin table, who were clapping politely. In all honesty, I didn't really mind being placed in Slytherin. I was more wary of my brother, who would no doubt give me hell for it. I visibly shuddered imagining him joining up with Sirius to prank the Slytherin me.

Before I reached the table, I felt a pair of eyes closely studying me, so I looked towards the middle of the table. Tom Riddle. Most likely a third year, Riddle who was surrounded by his "friends", gave me an intense look for one whole second, before masking it away as polite indifference. I looked away, and sat near the end of the table. _Did he recognize me?_ That would be very extremely-must obliviate kid Voldemort-troublesome.

Unsurprisingly James was sorted into Gryffindor, while Snape was later sorted into Slytherin.

I had been so distracted by the whole sorting and Tom Riddle, that when the Headmistress got up to make the opening speech, I nearly gasped. Luna Lovegood! Although she appeared to be in her late 50s, I knew she was already in her late 70s or early 80s.

My mouth was still open, creating an upside down "u", as Luna welcomed the students to another year at Hogwarts. I wasn't sure why, but Luna as the Headmistress made me extremely worried. I quickly looked around to see if anyone else was having a panic attack, but everyone else seemed to be at ease. I was finally brought to my senses, when Snape poked me hard in the ribs.

"Stop gaping around like a stupid fish", he hissed. I gave him an irritated look, and then turned back to listen to the rest of her speech.

"The Forbidden Forest are open to all students who dearly wish to die a brutal death. Personally, I wouldn't enter. On the bright side, I have convinced Mr. Flower to remove some of the items that were banned last year, such as-"

I stopped listening to her err... speech, to look for Mr. Flower. Who the hell was Mr. Flower? To my horror, it was Argus Filch who had a nasty scowl on his face. He did not look too happy with the nickname Luna gave him.

By the time I focused on Luna again, she had said her last words, which were " Bless the Crumple-Horned Snorkacks."

The food and drinks magically appeared, as the Headmistress took her seat. I placed a slice of beef onto my plate, and couldn't help, but shake my head at this crazy universe.

"Bless the Crumple Horned? Can't believe her", I muttered, slightly amused how some things will never change. The girl sitting across me gave me an odd look.

"What do you mean you can't believe her?" she asked. I looked at her closely, and realized it was Daphne Greengrass.

"It's nothing. I should have known she would mention her, err, imaginary creatures at least once throughout her speech." This time, several heads turned towards me. A boy who I vaguely recognized as Blaise Zabini gave me an indignant look.

"What are you talking about, Potter? Crumple-Horned Snorkacks are real. Haven't you read the _Daily Prophet_ this morning? Not only did our Headmistress prove their existence, but she also discovered several important properties of their blood. One including the ability to cure lycanthropy!"

"What?!" I nearly yelled. Nearly. The people around me were looking at me as if I were extremely daft. "Alright, alright. Stop giving me those looks, already. I usually read the _Daily Prophet_, but I couldn't this morning. It was stolen." They didn't seem to believe me, but I didn't really care. I had other things on my mind.

I knew the esteemed Headmistress was the previous professor of Care of Magical Creatures. She had been a Ravenclaw during her years at Hogwarts, and later became famous for various discoveries as an alchemist, as well as a potioneer. She had already been awarded Order of Merlin, First Class by her late 60s. When I first heard about her, I always thought Doubleell was such an odd surname, even among wizards and witches, but I now realized that it wasn't a surname at all. It was literally Double L, Luna Lovegood.

My eyes strayed towards Remus Lupin, wondering how he was handling the news. I chuckled to myself as I saw him stealing glances at the Headmistress with awe, as if she was the female reincarnation of Merlin himself. I did understand why though. I would have felt the same way as well, if I were in his position. Further along the table, my eyes met with Albus Dumbledore. He looked a lot older now, and he was proudly wearing his Prefect badge on his robe. He gave me a small smile and a nod in recognition, when our eyes met. I returned the nod, and then looked back towards the end of the table, searching for James.

He was happily chatting with Sirius, while a hesitant Pettigrew seemed to be trying to attract his attention. All the small surprises that I've been getting throughout the day, was starting to give me a nasty headache. Sadly, there was still one more left. As my eyes skimmed over the Staff table, I thought I saw a very familiar face with glossy brown hair. It was Hermione.


End file.
